Chapter 196 - Chapter 196: Chapter 24: Shopping Spree_i

Chapter 196: Chapter 24: Shopping Spree_i

Translator: 549690339 |

“This is it, the Nichang Ghost Market.”

Liu Yaodong stood in front of a city wall, speaking to Wang Ba.

Looking at the bustling stalls beneath the city wall, Wang Ba was rendered speechless, the shock slowly turning into incredulity.

Contrary to his initial thoughts of a clandestine location, the Nichang Ghost Market was brazenly situated at the border of the Song and Yan kingdoms.

Both sides of the border wall were reminiscent of a rural market, with cultivators running various stands, or purchasing resources.

Cries of vendors peddling their wares echoed back and forth.

The sights and sounds were even more vibrant than an ordinary marketplace.

This made Wang Ba, who was accustomed to the infamous subterrain ghost markets, feel a strange sense of uneasiness.

“Aren’t they afraid of attracting attention from the big Sects?”

Wang Ba couldn’t resist asking.

Liu Yaodong spoke matter-of-factly: “This place is located right at the frontier of two nations, a sensitive spot. Both nations’ Sects shy away from the potential friction that could be caused here; thus, this has become one of the few Ghost Markets that openly operates within their territories.”

“Because this is the site of the most active resource trading between the two nations, you can find many items here that are hard to come by on a normal day.”

“So, a lot of rogue cultivators travel from far and wide to come here, and even some cultivators from Sects will quietly come here to trade.”

“Of course, to safeguard the interests of the Sects, the Nichang Ghost Market only opens once a year for three days. Miss this opportunity, and you’ll have to wait until the next year.”

At these words, Wang Ba nodded slightly. Although he still had some doubts, the explanations did make sense overall.

From time to time, cultivators dressed in uniformed robes would patrol the surroundings, ready to take action at a moment’s notice if anyone were found disrupting the Ghost Market.

Soon, Wang Ba’s attention was caught by the bustling stalls.

Many of the cultivators running the stalls had imperceptible auras, making it impossible for him to discern their Cultivation Base.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked Liu Yaodong about it.

Liu Yaodong, being familiar with the market, had a lot to share. He promptly explained the ins and outs.

It turned out that those who wanted to run stalls at the Ghost Market had to submit a fee and a deposit to the management office. After paying, they could borrow an Invisibility Magic Tool. For those below the Golden Core stage, it was normally difficult for anyone to discern their identity or cultivation base.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ba immediately went to the management office intending to secure a stall.

Selling goods didn’t matter to him. What interested him was the security that the Invisibility Magic Tool could offer.

However, to his disappointment, since it was the first day of the market, all the stalls had already been let out. As the Invisibility Magic Tools were also tied to the stalls, all of them had been loaned out as well.

However, Liu Yaodong surprisingly managed to secure two second-rate Invisibility Magic Tools for him. Perhaps it’s because he had a good contingent of contacts among the Qi Refining cultivators.

Although they couldn’t fool Foundation Establishment cultivators from observing his spiritual sense, it was sufficient to evade those Qi Refining cultivators.

Not one to refuse Liu Yaodong’s kindness, Wang Ba accepted the item. It wasn’t the best, but it was better than nothing.

But there was no denying that Nichang Ghost Market was truly an eye-opener for Wang Ba.

The goods on sale varied from Magic Tools, Elixirs, and Talismans considered the main trio of a cultivator’s arsenal to an array of slaves, Dao soldiers, puppets, spirit beasts, spells, spiritual medicines, spirit materials, and special resources, and soon.

There was even a cultivator selling information about other secret Ghost Markets.

The most outrageous thing, however, was a middle-aged cultivator who allegedly was the Master of a Sect, offering to sell his entire Sect, along with all the disciples and the Sect’s premises.

All in exchange for a Class III Elixir capable of forming a Golden Core – the Yuan Returning Pill.

“For a cultivator, breaking through to achieve transcendence and immortality is the ultimate desire. If the Sect can’t keep up, it might become a burden instead. Although Si Hongfei’s move may appear drastic, it is in line with a cultivator’s heart.”

A spectator, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, remarked.

His comment received several nods of approval.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ba couldn’t help but shake his head.

He found it hard to agree with this viewpoint.

Everyone had their ambitions though, so he decided not to argue about it.

If he were in their shoes, as the Master of a Sect, even if he felt that the Sect was becoming a burden, the most he would do is step down and pursue the Dao alone.

Under no circumstances would he use his disciples as his stepping stone.

However, to Wang Ba’s surprise, someone really did offer to buy Si Hongfei’s Sect.

However, they only wanted the disciples, not the Sect’s premises.

Si Hongfei was caught off guard and delighted. He instantly commenced negotiations with the mysterious cultivator who had bought his Sect.

Witnessing this scene, Wang Ba squinted his eyes.

If his suspicion was correct, the mysterious cultivator was no doubt from the Demon Dao.

The fate of the disciples of that Sect was foregone.

However, he had no intentions of stepping in to intervene.

One must know one’s limits, and he knew he was not capable of making a difference.

He had neither the means nor the motivation to intervene in such matters.

Having enjoyed an interesting sight,

Wang Ba went about scanning the myriad of stalls without wasting any time.

Although the stalls weren’t particularly tiered, just by observing the items on sale, one could get a vague idea of the sellers’ Cultivation Base.

Before long, Wang Ba found himself stopping at one of the stalls selling Magic Tools.

Other people were busy picking and choosing, asking the seller for prices.

Wang Ba’s Spiritual Sense swept past the Class I and Class II Magic Tools, faintly picking up on the smell of blood.

Clearly, their source was not so clean.

But this was also quite normal among rogue cultivators.